My dad drank tea, my mum drank coffee, and I didn't like tea, so I went down the coffee route. We always had Nescafe in our house, but I remember mum getting parcels from Germany which had coffee beans in them. My uncle Henry sent the parcels which contained an assortment of foods which mum couldn't buy in England. We were excited when they arrived because there were scrumptious cakes and biscuits which we didn't have in the shops here, so it was always a treat.
Mum had a percolator. I remember her taking the beans to a shop to be ground because we didn't have the means to do that. The aroma of coffee drifting through the house was divine. She gave me some to try but it was too strong and gooey for me, so I stuck to Nescafe.
I am still not a fan of very strong coffee, though I like to try one or two different ones now and again. I don't have a fancy machine to brew up some of the expensive stuff, I keep within my budget and try different, affordable, instant coffee. There are quite a few on the market to try these days.
Although I really like coffee I have not fallen into the trap of stopping for a coffee when I am out. Coffee shops are everywhere, far too many in my opinion. I can't see the attraction of sitting out on the pavement sipping coffee. Perhaps it's nice to meet friends for a natter, but I am usually alone, and I don't feel a desperate need for a coffee while I am out. As for walking around clutching a cardboard cup in my hand, a definite no no.
So, how much is a cardboard cup of coffee? I don't know, maybe a couple of quid, or maybe more. Sure, they taste nice, but my version is a lot cheaper. Eight mugs for £1. Think I bought these from Aldi, maybe a discount store. That's not important, this is not a sponsored post. I really like the taste of these, but I add a little extra coffee granules to perk it up a bit.
Off to Scrapstore now with Angela. Toodle pip. ilona
I never visit those coffee shops, mostly the smell of stewed coffee wafting across the pavement is enough to send me scuttling in the opposite direction. I am a tea drinker but like an occasional coffee, Douwe Egberts dark roast for everyday. I do have a small traditional percolator and have coffee beans in the freezer. I use a hand grinder for them, a cheapo that I bought about 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI do love Starbucks coffee, but we buy their house blend ground coffee when on special and use our filter pot at home, I packet of ground coffee cost the same as a cup from the outlet, we do not sit and drink at Starbucks. As for Costa, can't stand the taste of the coffee.
ReplyDeleteAt home I just make drip coffee with well known Maxwell House, medium roast (I just notice your special coffees are also Maxwell House). I don't like it too strong. When I want to treat myself I will buy beans like Guatemala Antigua as a brand. I'm not sure they still call it that since it's been very long since I purchased beans for myself. I enjoy having a coffee at the coffee shops when I am running errands and want to read a book. I always carry a book. Or a friend will often want to meet up and visit over coffee. It doesn't get too expensive when it's only once a month or less. I like to sit outside if the weather is good but inside is fine too. I don't have any suggestions for you and you probably have different brands and coffee beans where you live. If I were you I would try a medium roast bean from Kenya or Ethiopia and get it ground up at the coffee shop. You can store it in the freezer to retain freshness.
ReplyDeleteHi Ilona. I dont drink coffee at all, I sometimes meet friends for a cuppa and catch up (it's a treat) but wouldnt dream of walking around with a cup of tea, I dont understand the appeal and have never understood the trend of carrying a bottle of water at all times. When I grew up it was considered bad mannered to eat or drink in the street. Anyway, I dont remember eating between meals at all.
ReplyDeleteI do have a bottle of water in my car but I don’t always have it with me.
DeleteMy preferred brand is Douwe Egberts. I prefer instant coffee as the other stuff is always too strong for me. I never go for coffee on my own but do occasionally with a friend or my husband. I mean occasionally though, maybe once a month and I choose a skinny latte. I did get one of those machines as a gift but the coffee pods are so expensive I gave up after a while. There again I still prefer instant.
ReplyDeleteHi Ilona, I quite enjoy going into Costa etc. and sharing a chai latte with my hubby - if you take your own reuseable mug with you they take 25p off the cost, I believe other outlets are also giving discounts if you use your own mug! I don't know if you have a Waitrose where you live, but you can also get a free tea or coffee if you buy something, although again you do have to remember to take your own mug - what I tend to do is buy a tin of bean or something else, and put it in the food bank donation bin - just a little thing to help someone else, then I can get my free drink!
ReplyDeleteNow that is a good idea Jill. Good free coffee, eco friedly, and a reminder to pass on the blessing. I think I will donate biscuits as I can’t have them now and someone will enjoy them for me. I look in at Waitrose just for the yellow stickered items and offers, and a coffee, when I am passing.
DeleteNellieGrace
I used to drink coffee all the time, weak and decafinated, never tea. Then When my mum died 3 years ago I could face coffee and have not drunk it since. I now drink tea.
ReplyDeleteCarolx
Same sort of thing is 8 for 89p in Asda - even cheaper!
ReplyDeleteI've gone right off tea so have these and de-caf coffee. I mix Douwe Egberts decaf with cheap supermarket own brand decaf and it tastes just right to me
Could never be bothered with one of those coffee making machines with pods - yet another thing to go wrong
Tea drinker here. I’m in awe at people using coffee shops daily. I would rather save up the money and go out for lunch once in a while with friends... with maybe a glass of wine :)
ReplyDeleteDH and I went to the coast on Friday ladt week and we were able to sit on the sea wall deinking our Alta Rica ( Nescafe) coffees from our Thermos steel mugs. It was joyful and cost not a penny extra as we had our lunch before we went and shared an oat bar with the coffee. When we are on holiday we would always use an independent coffee shop or tearoom if we needed refreshment. The small cost of diesel was worth the price as our Moho was needing a run out. Small things but such great pleasure from them.
ReplyDeleteI never even consider calling in for a cuppa if I am in town. I am never that thirsty. I remember going to the famous Betty's once. The hot chocolate was barely warm and I have never been since. I just don't see the appeal of sitting in a café drinking tea.
ReplyDeleteChiming in from Canada.
ReplyDeleteI drink a big cup of coffee in the mornings, one only, an instant blend which is 50% chicory. I take it with real maple syrup and a bit of almond milk.
Drive through coffee shops are all the rage here, line ups galore as people stop by in their cars for their morning cuppa coffee, Tim Hortons is a very popular drive through coffee shop. I don't drive through for coffee, haven't done it, will probably never do it. People spend a mortgage payment a month on coffee shop coffee, and then can't understand why they are short on their mortgage or rent payments. Two young couples in a row have lost the house next door, due to financial difficulties, but they always had their expensive morning "Timmies" in their hands.
I love to walk around downtown Toronto and to stop at a coffee shop with an outdoor patio, to chat with friends, or people-watch when I am alone. It has always been a way to be around people, as I am not a social butterfly, and to sit in a coffee shop requires no social butterflying.
Maggie, I am from Canada also and cannot understand why people flock to Timmies for their "Double doubles".
DeleteI have heard from several people, Timmies puts some kind of ingredient in their coffee which is additive making people go back time and time again for their "fix" of coffee. True? I do not know.
I have a drip coffee in the morning, tea for lunch and dinner. Never walk around with either in a paper cup, it changes the taste of the beverage plus the cups contribute to the waste that seems to be over taking the world these days. Do not sit in outdoor patio's either.
Patricia - that's an old joke about Timmies because they are just everywhere! I remember seeing a sign at a construction site with a billboard saying "NOT the site of another Tim Horton's"!
DeleteI tend to drink tea at home although I have a French Press coffee maker and will buy beans (usually from Second Cup) when I'm expecting company and I know that they are coffee drinkers.
I enjoy the occasional coffee out - it's a small treat and I do love a cappuccino but it's once in a while not daily. I prefer Canadian Companies like "Second Cup" or "Tim Horton's" and do not like "Starbucks" as I find their coffee much too strong and to me it tastes burnt - plus I can't stand going through the whole 20 questions bit before I can get a simple cup of coffee!
My parents had an old stove top percolator and it was a Sunday morning treat to wake up to the smell - just wonderful.
OMG I live two blocks from Timmies and I have a parade of people walking by my house every day to get their Double Double..it costs a small fortune and I know most of the people are not working. The litter from all the bloody cups blow down the street constantly. I use Nescafe and buy it on sale, love the Yorkshire tea when I can find it here in Chatham. Last week while walking by the food bank ( charity ) everyone had a timmies, cig and an i phone !!!
DeleteThat is too funny! All of those "wants" really add up over time.
DeleteI am not one for coffee shops but the smell of coffee in the morning brings back glorious memories of Mom getting up, starting up the wood stove and getting the coffee on for breakfast. As a Canadian, my coffee choices are different .. the coffee I use is Nabob coffee. It is what my mother used, my sisters use it and my daughters use it. I have a Keurig one cup at a time coffee maker and I fill the pods with my Nabob coffee. That being said .. I love a good cup of chai.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite mug of coffee is the one from my flask, in my old malamine mug, enjoyed sitting somewhere quiet with a nice view. Very frugal, very eco friendly. Sainsbury’s own decaff is £2 for 200g, cheaper than Aldi.
ReplyDeleteNellieGrace
I have coworker that spend a fortune stopping nearly daily. I drink brewed coffee at home, and have instant at my desk at work. However, I do enjoy meeting friends for coffee, o a colleague for a working meeting out of the office. I request real mug as I hate the cardboard cups. I love coffee so I can
ReplyDeletet say I ignore the wonderful smell form the shops but try to save for a treat rather than a part of my normal day.
For the last 30+ years, we've had a Filtron Cold Water coffee system. That sounds expensive and complicated but it wasn't and is free (other than water and the coffee) to use. You dump 11 to 22oz of coffee in a container that has a plugged hole in the bottom with a thick felt-like filter on top. A plastic circle with holes in it goes on top of the dry coffee and a water chamber goes on top of the first container. The water chamber has a tiny hole in its bottom so the water drips down onto the coffee. It sits on the table for 12 hours, then is drained (remove that plug) into a glass or plastic carafe. You have the option of putting half the amount of water in the water chamber (plug up that drain hole!) and letting it all sit on the table for 24 hours for a weaker coffee to mix in with the first. The carafe goes in the refrigerator and when you want a cup of coffee, you pour about an ounce of "coffee syrup" into your cup and add hot water. A fresh cup of coffee every time and the company boasts it's not acidic as some coffee is. We've found that true. It's as quick and simple as instant and we enjoy the coffees we make for pennies per mug. Our original set-up cost $30 those three plus decades ago and the only other ongoing cost is for plugs occasionally and filters about once a year.
ReplyDeleteWishing you well!
Hubby and I never go out for coffee and we brew our coffee at home but using coffee grinds not the Kcup version. I refuse to use papercups at work which is the norm. I reckon I save at least $1000 a year by not buying coffee out.
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible what people spend.
DeletePeople go into pubs for a pint so I guess coffee drinkers do the same in a cafe....its a social thing. I enjoy a coffee out from time to time especially with some friends. We have some really nice local cafes often within shops and garden centres but when at home I prefer Kenco Smooth but I never buy it unless it's on offer.
ReplyDeleteI am really fussy about tea and coffee: I have periods of drinking just tea then switch back to coffee for some reason. The only tea I like is PG Tips or Yorkshire and as for coffee the best brand I have found is L'OR Classique 'smooth and aromatic' in Aldi. My tea has to be strong (builders' tea) and I favour weak milky coffee so the 'L'OR' being granules is easy to make. I never buy tea or coffee when out - it's far too expensive.
ReplyDeleteI always get my coffee from a discount store it is always the best brand and so cheaper from the stores.
ReplyDeleteHazel c uk
I drink a decaff one that I buy at Home Bargains. I don't know the name as it's not one of the big brands and I decant it into a canister, but the lid and label are green and it costs around £2.80. I used to drink S'bury's decaff, and had to buy a jar recently as HB didn't have my usual. The S'bury's was awful, like dust, and left a film around the cup.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes go to an independent cafe, where I can get a coffee and a toasted teacake for £1.80. Good value and a nice treat that I enjoy very much.
I have a hot drink out with friends on Saturdays (U3A coffee club) and Sundays (after our Sunday stroll). We use local businesses, not chains like Starbucks or Costa. I have a fruit tea on Saturdays (venue never changes and there's a loyalty card), and an Earl Grey tea on Sundays, venue changes depending on which walk we do. I budget for this, it's important for maintaining my friendships and my mental and emotional health.
ReplyDeleteIf I have to go into town for something I take my reusable water bottle with me. I also only go when I have sufficient energy, to avoid having to have a seat due to fatigue (long term health issue). However if I get tired it's always an option, but I prefer not to spend the money just to sit down and recover. When I have to do it, the cuppa is reviving and worth every penny!
For me, my first mug of the day has to be tea. Never alters, but then I go on to coffee for the rest of the day. I drink de-caffinated tea and coffee, not bothered about the brand of tea as long as it isn't like a builders, but we drink Kenco Decaffinated Coffee, which can be expensive but we usually buy a few jars when on offer. Funny thing is that I only like tea that's been in a flask, but not coffee. Have never been in a Costa or Starbucks so can't compare the two.
ReplyDeleteI recently visited the UK. I was in a small market town waiting for a bus but was hungry and thirsty. Went into a store called Pounstretcher but they only had bulk items, very disorganized. Then I spotted a Costa. (We don’t have them in America, at least in my area.) It was the only place I could find on the High Street which in general looked kind of empty of businesses. At Costa I bought a sandwich, which they heated up for me, and got a free glass of water. I ate in the restaurant because it was drizzling outside. So I’m now a fan of Costa. I don’t drink coffee.
ReplyDeleteAnother Canadian here. I love coffee, but it disagrees with my husband, so most of the time we drink tea. Our mothers both came from the UK, so there must be some tea running in our veins! That said, we always have a bag of good coffee beans in the freezer that I can grind up when I do want a cup. For ourselves, we use a French press, and I can make a latte by warming milk in the microwave and whisking it to a froth. Close enough to the real thing! I don't care for Tim's coffee (or tea, for that matter), but occasionally if I am out with a friend or we are travelling, I enjoy a coffee on a patio -- it's a great way to people-watch. Betty
ReplyDeleteI enjoy good coffee but I restrict this to one cup a day. I buy coffee beans and grind them myself and have a stove top expresso maker on the boat and a more fancy machine at home. i also have a battery operated milk frothier which I bought for a couple of quid in Lidl a few years ago. I very rarely go to a cafe for a coffee as I can make a perfectly good large cappuccino at home. I can also make it with soya or almond milk and not all cafes have this option. The coffee making equipment I have was expensive to begin with but has saved me £££ over the time I’ve had it.
ReplyDeleteThis is very timely for me. After bad colds my daughter and I have gone right off the coffee from our machine. Everyone here in the Netherlands has a machine of some sort, ours is a cheapo but finding our usual coffee too strong and bitter. Need suggestions please for something smooth.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy a cup of coffee first thing, but don't like instant, so I use a cafetière, which costs a fraction of what a coffee machine costs; even less if you get it from a charity shop or even out of a skip, as I've done more than once! L!dls do a very nice ground filter coffee - the one in the gold pack - which is literally half the price of anything I've found in our local supermarkets and lasts me a good month, during which time my Other Half will have gone through 2 big jars of instant. The rest of the time I drink tea, even in coffee shops, but I only go into those on special occasions!
ReplyDeleteI adore Costa....love the whole atmosphere...watching the activity and bustle as the barista juggles the machines, cups and orders..the smell of coffee and delicious cakes and toasties...you only live once so enjoy 😀😀
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy the first cup of coffee at home. It is Foldgers medium roast. In summer months (southern Ca.) I usually have only one cup but winter months it's two or three cups. Every couple of weeks a friend and I have coffee and a muffin out. We like to try different places and sit and chat for an hour. I do love the smell of coffee and have often thought the smell is better than the taste. Patty Mc
ReplyDeleteI like the smell better than the taste too
DeleteFavourite coffee is Kenco and favourite tea is Yorkshire. I do like a cappacino in a nice coffee shop if I am meeting one of my sisters. Its a social thing.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I use a French Press and get ground beans at the supermarket. We like Peets brand and I like milk, honey and raw sugar in mine and husband likes his black. You can get many different types of Peets. We like one that it not too strong "Columbia" is in the pantry at he moment. You can decide how strong you want it by putting more or less coffee in the French Press. We drink it every morning.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I go in Costa is when I'm Xmas shopping in town with my OH. He usually sits in there while I load him up with bags of shopping and then I join him for a coffee before heading home. Usually sit outside as it gets a bit crowded inside. At home I only drink Nescafe as percolated coffee makes me feel nauseous if I am not having a meal. Always buy it when on offer and then stock up with 2 or 3 jars - never pay full price. Tea I drink every now and again - only real leaf tea with tealeaves no paper teabags lol.
ReplyDeleteOne Nescafe for morning tea here, hot in winter, iced in summer. One iced green tea for afternoon tea. I make it in the morning and put it in a bottle in the fridge for the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteA good cup of home brewed Folgers with a touch of cream while I watch the early morning news.My husband gets up before me and makes it. Probably just pennies a cup.I just have my one cup a day.Ice water the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy coffee also. I get mine when it's on sale spent $6 for a big tub of one which will last me 6 months. Also our library offers free coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts. So we head over their to browse the books once a week and get a cup of coffee and the kids grab their donut.
ReplyDeleteIf it's instant coffee, I go for Nescafe Gold Blend but i only buy it when on offer, and then i purchase 2 jars; that way it works out cheaper than the other types. For percolated, it has to be Taylors of Harrogate, again buying 2 bags when on offer. I have a posh coffee machine which i got from a charity shop. At Christmas, my treat to myself is one visit to Starbucks for a gingerbread latte, yum! (altho i'd have to re-mortgage if it was a regular visit!)
ReplyDeleteI always buy the Aldi Alcafe cappuccino sachets.10 for 99p...although yesterday they were on special 89p for 10,so I bought 3 packs.I buy Stockwells tea from Tesco,but thats gone up in price.What was 50p for 80 tea bags,is now 58p!.Although thats still alot cheaper than the other brands and its strong as well.Its very,very rare that I would buy a coffee when Im out.The last time was when we was on holiday and that was in a Weatherspoons,and only because it was raining!.In all their pubs,you pay £1 49p...but you can fill up your cup as many times as you like,with latte,cappuccino,tea ect.I think we had about 4 each,lol.xx
ReplyDeleteSupermarkets here in the Netherlands, plus Bank and town hall and other places have free tea and coffee. I like!
ReplyDeleteI love going out for coffee, it's one of those simple pleasures I don't want to give up. I don't like the coffe in Costa or Starbucks, so I tend to go for independents too. I drink tea at home and coffee out, my caffeine intake is quite high! But I don't drink, don't smoke etc etc, caffeine is pretty much my only "vice".
ReplyDeleteHere in the states, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are everywhere. I don't care for Starbucks coffee. It tastes very bitter to me. Dunkin Donuts is good and it's not real strong. I buy it by the bag in the supermarket or sometimes 3 lbs. of it at a time at the actual Dunkin Donuts coffee shop when they have a sale on it. Otherwise, I like some of the Seattle, Washington coffees we have here. They seem to be a little more expensive to buy but they have a good taste. I don't usually sit at a café unless I am also having something to eat. I think people get into a habit of stopping for coffee before work because they get up in just enough time to get dressed and run out the door without their coffee or anything to eat. I've worked with women who will get their breakfasts and lunches out every day and then complain that they haven't got any money or not enough to pay all their bills.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand this need to walk around with hot beverages in paper cups. It's messy and dangerous (and expensive, and tastes funny).
ReplyDeleteBack when I was still single, I enjoyed a cup of homebrew Simon Lévelt 'Gourmet' coffee every day, but now that I have two daughters, I take any fairtrade organic coffee I can find. It's almost impossible to sit for 20 minutes halfway the morning without being interrupted, so there's no use for the 'best' coffee, as I cannot give it the attention it warrants. :)
Such interesting comments here on the coffee habit! I buy coffee beans on sale at Costco. They are cheaper in bulk, and I store them in the freezer for freshness. I almost never buy coffee out, but do enjoy the ritual of a restaurant with friends or family as a treat. I make mine in a simple Italian stove top espresso pot. I heat the milk in a saucepan on my vintage stove, and drink it with a teaspoon of sugar. I like a mixture of coconut milk, regular milk, and soy milk. I drink two cups per day, and I'm guessing that it costs me about $4.00 a month. I don't drink, smoke, or buy any other beverages, though. (except herb and fruit teas.) It's totally worth it so me. I love to enjoy my coffee out in the garden. I sit in the glider chair, soak in nature, and relish the taste of my delicious cafe au lait.
ReplyDeleteI drink cheapo Asda coffee when I drink instant. There's two ways to get a free coffee when you're out.
ReplyDeleteIf you have an Ikea near you, get a free Ikea Family Card (you can get a temporary card printed immediately). This qualifies you for free tea and coffee in the restaurant Monday to Friday.
The other way is to collect Mc Donalds bean stickers off their cups. I never buy their coffee! Never pass a discarded cup. Pick it up, peel off the sticker, and put the cup in a bin. Six stickers on a card (also on the cup) gets you a free coffee. This includes the 'special' coffees like Toffee Latte which is normally £1.99!
I love a fresh coffee in the morning and I buy Lidl expresso which I make on my stove top perculator. It's £1.99 for a tin!
ReplyDelete